Some Time Apart
by MultiGwyn Rooney
Summary: When Han and Leia both take off on short leaves of absence from the rebellion, they are completely unexpecting of the situation that is yet to come. Han is headed out to meet some old smuggling buddies, and Leia is excited to get some time away from Han. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Hello again! The idea for this little fic came to me during a period of serious writers block. This story is obviously going to be a bit AU. It's set in between ANH and ESB. Yes, I made up the names of the planets. The story also ended up a bit more modern than I wanted it to.**

 **Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Star Wars. If I did, I wouldn't be on this website.**

* * *

Leia looked up at the shape of the large Y-Wing that hadn't been flown since the voyage to Haituk, where the rebels had been positioned for a few months. It had grown a collection of algae-like organisms and vines during its time in the humid hangar. She called over a droid to assist her in pulling off the tarp that covered and protected the ship from the wet environment.

She'd requested some time away from the base, something that she hadn't ever imagined herself doing, but her duty as Princess of her homeworld ultimately came before her allegiance to the rebellion. Rieekan had only agreed after she had played her pity card and ensured him that her destination was neutral ground and that she wouldn't be spotted in any situation. She trusted these people with her life.

Two friends of her parents who had met on Alderaan were getting married on a neutral resort satellite that Leia had never heard of. She thought she knew her galaxy inside out, but many neutral planets and surrounding satellites seemed to be coming out of nowhere the longer the war went on, only to be seized by the Empire eventually.

At first, Leia of course declined their invitation, but as time went on and the event grew closer, she felt obligated to be there on behalf of her entire planet.

As the tarp came down, Leia smiled at her ship and only opportunity to fly alone since her last solo mission. She thanked the maintenance droid and began to climb the ladder to her ship, when a familiar voice entered the hangar, angrily tearing down the ramp of the Millenium Falcon.

"Pull it together, Chewie. We're leaving in five minutes," Han said inspecting some kind of mechanical box attached to the outside of his ship and then turning around. Here he found Leia, leaning backwards against the ladder of her Y-Wing, which he was surprised to see uncovered.

Without missing a beat, he asked "Where are you going?"

Leia scoffed. "Why do you need to know? It's none of your business."

"Sheesh, Princess," Han chuckled. "Just curious."

Leia began climbing the ladder again, but abruptly turned around once more. Han was staring at her.

"And you?" She asked, halfway up to the ship.

Han smiled. "I thought you wouldn't ask. If you must know, I'm going to see a few old friends. I won't be gone long." He winked.

Leia rolled her eyes and continued climbing into her ship.

Han watched her modified starfighter leave the hangar. Her ship had been personalized to her needs, but it could still be used on the defensive if need be. Han was confident that she could hold her own, wherever she was going.

When Han climbed back up the ramp to the Falcon, Chewbacca was still angry.

"Look, buddy," Han offered, putting on his gloves and sinking into the pilot seat. "I'm sorry that Arlan and Sia didn't invite you to the wedding, but I offered to leave you here."

The Wookiee shook his head.

"Fine, you can stay on the ship."

The Millenium Falcon left the hangar, unknowingly following the small starfighter that had just entered hyperspace minutes ago.

* * *

The resort satellite of Kaiki was beautiful under the light of its Red Giant Star. Everything was cast in a pinkish glow around sunset. Leia hopped out of her ship and her boots hit the fine, packed sand of the hangar. The sand was clearly artificial, but even it seemed to glow with a flowery ambiance that Leia just couldn't place until she saw Arlan and Sia. The two were so clearly in love that it seemed the whole hangar was glowing with romance. She smiled and they spotted her across the large room. They came running over to hug her.

"Lelila!" Sia exclaimed, wrapping her in an embrace. "It's so good to see you! You're so grown up."

Arlan smiled and gave her a quick hug as well. "How old are you now? Twenty one? Twenty two?"

Leia chuckled. "That's need to know," she joked. "But I'm plenty old enough to have a glass or two at the reception."

The three laughed, but suddenly the tone turned sad.

"We were devastated to hear what happened," Sia said solemnly. "Breha and Bail were both very kind people. As was everyone on your planet."

"Sia, do you mind if we just don't talk about that?" Leia asked. "Besides, we're here to celebrate you two."

They all exited the hangar. Quite a few years younger than her adopted parents, Arlan and Sia were almost more Leia's friends than her parents'. She was eager to explore the resort with them, even if her mind was on a military base halfway across the galaxy. Her mind had especially been wandering to a certain smuggler over the last few minutes, but she couldn't quite tell why.

It wasn't until she stood in the lobby of the hotel with her case, waiting for her room, that she realized why Han was on her mind.

He walked in with the sort of swagger that he always carried around in his back pocket, minus the blaster, given that energy weapons were strictly banned on Kaiki (not that it stopped her from stowing her small vibroblade in her boot). Her eyes widened and her jaw almost dropped as he walked up to the counter, still not having caught her eye. As he turned around to join the waiting area, he saw her, and almost smirked before it turned into a scowl. He slung his bag over his shoulder and quickly marched over to where she was standing.

"Why-" Han began.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Leia hissed angrily through her teeth.

"Me?" Han spit back. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm attending a wedding! For my friends!" Leia almost yelled.

"Yeah, well, me too!" Han exclaimed.

Leia blanched. "No," she muttered quietly. "I'm not going to spend the next five days with you."

"No, you're not," Han said. "Because I'll be avoiding you."

"Why can't I get away from you for five minutes?" Leia asked, picking up her bag. Finally, a bellhop was coming to show her to her room.

"What can I say sweetheart? The universe just likes to see us together."

Leia rolled her eyes. "I can't stand you."

"Well, then it's a good thing that this is a pretty big satellite," Han muttered at her as she walked away with the man to see her room. Shortly after, someone came to show him a room on the twelfth floor of the largest building of the resort.

Leia threw her bag down on the bed as soon as she walked into the small, albeit very nice, hotel room. She followed the bag, throwing herself down on the bed in a very un-Leia-like manner. Her head already hurt from the whole situation, and she had only seen Han for five minutes. She sat up, looking at the door that adjoined her room to the one next to her. _Oh well,_ she thought. _This resort is huge. There's no way I'll have to see him again before the ceremony._

Han was already bored without his Wookiee companion, and was resorting to extremes. He knocked on the door connecting to the room next to him, hoping and praying to any deity up there that a nice, pretty woman would answer the door and that they would become fast friends.

He wasn't sure to be ecstatic or mortified when Leia opened the door. He went for the former.

"Well Princess," he smiled at the very aggravated, small woman on the other side of the door frame. "Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other this week."

Leia had never slammed a door as hard as she did that one, and turned the lock just as aggressively.

 **a/n: Reviews are encouraging! Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: Hello again everybody! Thanks for your kind reviews, favorites and follows. It's so encouraging to know that at least someone is reading the trash that I add to this site. Here's chapter two!**

* * *

When she reopened the door, it was only because she had a variety of questions. At least, that's what she told herself. Unsurprisingly, Han was still standing at the door, as if he expected her to open it back up a few minutes after slamming it in his face.

"Hello again," he said smugly.

"I have so many questions," Leia began.

"I do too," Han said, furrowing his brow. "How about you come in?"

Leia shook her head. "This is fine."

"Alright well, I guess I'll ask first," Han started. "How do you know Sia and Arlan?"

"They're family friends, ambassadors to my homeworld," Leia explained. "They actually met on Alderaan. How do you know them?"

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Your Worship, but your ambassador friends are smugglers," Han said. "I met them in my smuggling ring after the Guild was overturned."

Leia put a hand on her hip and pressed her lips together. It was rare to hear Han talk about his past, but she decided not to press. "Han, I know that. Do you think you're the first smuggler I've ever met?"

He just chuckled and changed the subject. "Did you know that tonight is the rehearsal dinner? And have you seen all the activities Arlan and Sia have set up this week? And they're paying for all of it? Is this a wedding or a cruise? This week is gonna be crazy, especially with you around."

Leia ignored him. "Han, I didn't come halfway across the galaxy to spend time with someone I work with. So if you would kindly leave me alone and find someone else to bother, I would be grateful." She closed the door again, this time for good.

* * *

The dinner had been wonderful so far. She had once again greeted the bride and groom and had been introduced to a number of family and friends. When the actual dinner came around, Sia stood up and tapped a spoon against an empty glass.

"Hello, everyone," she said in the musically sweet voice that Leia remembered from her childhood. "If you could all take a seat..."

Arlan spoke up next. "Of course, you won't find any nameplates because someone thought it would be a good idea to 'encourage acquaintanceship among our guests.'"

That was the Arlan Han always knew, making light of the situation even when things turned sour for him. Han quickly realized that he knew no one at this wedding except for a certain brunette across the room.

Leia hadn't exactly meant to, but she made eye contact with Han. He may have driven her bantha-shit crazy most of the time, but he was the only person at this party that she was remotely comfortable around. They ended up meeting in the middle of the dining room and slipping into two adjacent chairs. As everyone around them suddenly seemed to burst into conversation, the two rebels looked around.

"I don't think I've ever seen a single one of these people in my life," Han started. "And I've seen a lot of people."

"Me too," Leia agreed. "That's a bit strange isn't it?

Han shook his head. "I don't think so. Arlan and Sia hang out in some cantinas that even I'm a little scared of, but they also attend some pretty high-rolling casino parties."

"Hm," Leia said. She knew that the couple was involved in a bit of illegal activity, but she also knew they were good people. Why were they hanging out with gamblers and smugglers like Han?

The food was brought by a very excitable droid that Leia adored but reminded Han too much of a certain gold-colored protocol droid that had gotten in his way too many times. Dinner went on with barely a word exchanged between the two. The wedding party reviewed the motions of the ceremony as they needed, and everyone else was expected to watch or make polite conversation with the people around them.

"I will admit," Leia said, setting down her fork. "I think I prefer your company to that of Sia's family."

Han turned his head to look at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "It seems like everyone here is much to absorbed in themselves to appreciate a day dedicated to honoring the love of two _other_ people."

Han laughed at that.

Leia continued. "I'll make you a deal."

"Oh really, Princess?"

"Yes," Leia said in her best delegator voice. "I will keep you company in this miserable crowd if you promise to make no snide comments toward me or attempts at blatant flirting."

Han pretended to mull it over for a moment. "Can I make snide comments about other people?"

"Sure," Leia agreed.

They shook hands and Leia immediately regretted it. She told herself that she just needed someone that she knew to help her get through the week, but somewhere inside, she had an ulterior motive, even if she couldn't come to terms with it herself.

* * *

They ended up heading back to their rooms at different times, as Han had gone to grab a drink from the bar at the last second. When he arrived back at his room, he wanted to knock on the adjoining door again, but stopped himself. He looked down at the floor, wondering what to do and he saw a piece of paper that had clearly been slid under the door. The note was written in perfect handwriting and signed with two familiar initials.

 **I hope you had a nice drink. By the time you'll read this, I've already showered and went to bed. Please don't knock on the door. I'll honor our agreement, but only at normal, functioning human being times of the day. -LO**

Han smirked at the small note. It was barely even a notice that said 'don't bother me,' but it was one of the sweetest things that Leia had done around him, let alone for him. Before he went to bed, he wrote his own note on the hotel stationary and slid it under the door.

* * *

 **Morning Your Highnessness. Hope you had a nice sleep. Could you do me a favor and knock as hard as you can on the door an hour before today's first activity begins? Thanks. -HS**

His penmanship was terrible. That was the first thing Leia noticed about the note. The second was that he expected her to be his alarm chrono so that he wouldn't miss the first activity. She had half a mind to let him sleep in all day and pretend she'd never found the note, but she also didn't want to face angry, overslept Han Solo again. One time on under the blazing sun of a tropical jungle planet had been plenty. ("Why didn't anybody wake me up?" Han had asked angrily. Neither Luke nor herself were brave enough to answer, so they changed the subject, but Han remained angry all day.)

She put down the note on the desk and picked up the itinerary that she'd been given for the week. The first activity was hiking.

As Leia walked down to grab something from the breakfast hall, she wondered when she had last been hiking. She supposed she could consider base scouting hiking, but she used to do it with her parents all the time, the real just-for-fun kind.

When she returned to her room with a bowl from breakfast, reluctant to eat in a room full of people she didn't know, Leia pounded on the door as Han has instructed. After a few minutes, he groggily came to the door. Her mouth went dry.

Standing at the door, shirtless and with his hair sticking out in four different ways, was Han. She swallowed and acted completely unaffected.

"Hiking is in an hour," she said. "And if I am to act as your alarm for the next few days, I'd appreciate it if you could come to the door with more clothes on."

"Sure," Han agreed.

Leia walked away to prepare for the hike, but this time didn't lock the door behind her.

* * *

 **a/n: Please try not to leave without reviewing. Just a few of your encouraging words make my day and make me want to work on the story more. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: Hello again everybody! Thanks again for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad that people are truly enjoying this story. Here's chapter 3.**

* * *

Arlan and Sia had truly outdone themselves. Being two very eccentric individuals, Han wasn't really surprised when he saw the extensive list of activities scheduled for the week. He was impressed, but not exactly excited to spend his one week away from the rebellion doing things that he could do on base. That opinion changed when realized that Leia was also in attendance.

Observing Leia in a normal human-like activity such as eating or sleeping was always a rare occurrence. It was even more rare to see her enjoying herself, so for Han, the hike was a completely new experience.

The activities were divided among the floors of the hotel, starting with the tenth, where most of the wedding party was staying. Han and Leia were in the third and final group, significantly smaller than the other two.

Han was waiting in the hallway, striking up a simple conversation with the man who had introduced himself as their guide when Leia exited her room.

She was wearing boots, very typical of herself, but the rest of her outfit was anything but. Her pants were fairly standard, but they were a deep emerald green and she wore a white, sleeveless top. On her back was a small pack with two water bottles and what Han assumed were her other hiking essentials, whatever they may be. It was odd to see her look so relaxed. He wondered what she was thinking.

Leia looked at Han with the same confusion. His normal bloodstripes had been abandoned for a pair of jogging pants. Since when did he jog?

 _Of course he jogs,_ she thought. _No one just looks like that._

The guide was enthusiastic and talked for most of the trip down to the trails, but once they actually started hiking he was quiet in order to let the guests 'enjoy the sounds of nature.'

Han suddenly leaned over to Leia for the first time since he greeted her that morning in his underwear. "This is a satellite. Does he know there's no nature?"

Leia laughed at that, earning her a pointed glare from another guest who was clearly trying to enjoy the nature.

They spent most of the hike in silence or making jokes about the other guests. At some point they created a persona for the woman who had glared at Leia. Her name was Helena and she was _very_ adamant about bird conservation throughout the galaxy.

The satellite was specifically designed to be the perfect temperature for lounging, which was a little warmer than Leia thought it needed to be. Eventually, it started to get hot on the trails. The sun was beating down.

"It's almost as bad as Haituk, huh?" Han said, dodging an artificial tree branch.

"Not quite," Leia answered. She suddenly got very anxious. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are, Leia," Han offered sincerely. "They're a smart group of people. They'll be okay without you for a few days."

The use of her actual name caught her attention and they stared at one another for a moment before Leia took off down the trail once again. For the first time, Han noticed her hair in a single, simple braid down her back.

The group arrived at a gorgeous lookout that provided a view of the many resorts cast across the artificial moon. It wasn't a large place compared to some of the giant planets that Leia had been to, but it was beautiful. The lights glowed even in broad daylight, and the whole city seemed to gleam the same color.

"It's not very big," said one patron of the resort, again whom neither Han or Leia had ever met.

The tour guide chuckled. "Yes well, that's one way that we've been able to avoid Imperial control."

Han felt Leia tense next to him. He nudged her hand so that she would look at him, and mouthed "They'll be okay." She still seemed uneasy, but she felt a little bit better, even if Han's words actually meant nothing.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without incident. Dinner was a bit strange, some kind of stew that Leia had not heard of. Not bad, per say, but not great. Han hadn't enjoyed it.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that Chewie makes better stew than that," Han said, punching the "12" button on the elevator. "And he usually sticks his whole paw in the pot at some point."

"Remind me never to eat the stew that Chewie makes."

They both laughed as the elevator lurched upward. They rose only one floor and the elevator stopped again. People were getting on and off the elevator all the way up to the twelfth floor of the bustling hotel. Leia hadn't been worried about someone spotting her, but now that she was in such close quarters with strangers, she pressed closer to Han to avoid being recognized. Around the eleventh floor, everyone else had gotten off, but neither Han nor Leia moved. He looked down at her.

"Your dress is beautiful," Han said. He wasn't even trying to flirt; it was obvious. She had changed into a yellow sundress that had clearly been made on Alderaan. It had the same radiant glow as everything else from the planet.

Leia tried to open her mouth to remind him that their agreement called for 'no blatant flirting,' but all that would come out was a small "Thank you."

Just as she thought she was going to lose her mind and kiss him in the elevator, the doors dinged open.

"After you," he said calmly.

Leia unlocked the door to her room and placed her things down on the small desk. Just as she was taking her hair down from the elaborate braid that she had put it up in to avoid the heat, something slid under the door. She picked up the note delicately, as if it would hurt her.

 **I had fun today. Dinner was nice. Thank you for agreeing to spend time with me over this trip. I think I would've been bored to death on that hike without you.** **I've decided to get up for breakfast tomorrow. If you could just knock again, that would be great. Thanks. -HS**

Leia rolled her eyes and smiled.

* * *

 **a/n: Remember to try and leave a review before you go. I appreciate it a lot.**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: Welcome to chapter 4 everyone! Thanks again for your sweet reviews! They always make my day.**

* * *

Leia knocked on the door in the same manner that she had the day before and braced herself for another glimpse of Han Solo in his underwear, but he opened the it wearing significantly more clothing than he had been earlier. It didn't make him look any less enticing.

This morning, he wore another pair of what she assumed were exercise pants and a tight undershirt. Clearly just out of the fresher, his hair was a mess and his cheeks glowed with the warmth of the water. Leia swallowed.

"I'm up," Han said. "I figured I should at least attend one breakfast at this fancy resort. Breakfast food is my favorite."

Leia nodded. "Sure, It'll save me from having to sit alone while I wait for my food."

"Whatever you say," Han said, turning around to grab a warmer shirt from the bed. "I think you just miss me when I'm asleep."

Instead of wasting her time rolling her eyes, Leia just flashed him a sarcastic smile and grabbed her things for the day. "Can you believe we're taking a speeder tour of an artificial forest today? What a waste of time."

Han chuckled. "Of course you would see it as a waste of time."

Leia glared at him. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Your Worship."

Breakfast was the only meal so far that had been satisfactory to Han. The two sat alone, away from most of the other guests that they found annoying. The service was fast and the food was delicious.

The groups were the same for the scheduled speeder tour, but today, Arlan and Sia joined their group. And as most people had come in couples, the speeders sat two people each.

"Of course I'll drive since I'm the gentleman and all," Han started.

"Um, the day anyone labels you as a gentleman will be the last day I live in this galaxy," Leia said. "Do you even have a speeder license?"

"Are you even old enough to have a speeder license?" Han said, climbing into the driver's seat of the small vehicle.

Leia narrowed her eyes, refusing to get in. Arlan and Sia noticed her standing outside the speeder alone and walked over.

"Leia, this is Han," Sia introduced. "He's a friend of ours from... work. Han, this is Leia. She's the daughter of the viceroy of Alderaan. A bit more famous than the rest of us if I might-"

"Oh, believe me, we've met," Han said through gritted teeth.

"Oh really?" Sia said. "How do you two know each other."

"Oh he transported some cargo of mine about a year back," Leia said. "He got me out of some trouble, but now I really can't seem to get rid of him."

"Well, at I'm sure you'll both be happy to have someone you know," Arlan said. "We were worried about you two not knowing anyone else here."

Leia just flashed him a smile before reluctantly climbing into the cab of the speeder. Han pushed the vehicle into gear.

"You know," Leia began. "You're kind of rude sometimes."

Han smirked. "Yeah, well you could be nicer."

She crossed her arms and refused to listen to the tour guide at the front of the pack with a loud speaker that amplified his voice and only made him more annoying. The tour seemed to have lasted hours already, but Leia could tell they had barely begun. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

"Really?" Han asked. Leia opened her eyes and looked at him. "I didn't think it was that boring. Some of this is actually interesting."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, not really," Han conceded. "I really don't want to be here anymore."

"If we weren't supposed to be avoiding unnecessary attention, I'd say we steal the speeder and get out of here," Leia said seriously. "But that might raise some eyebrows."

"I like the way you're thinking," he answered. "But you're right. That would probably qualify as unwanted attention."

Leia smiled. "Oh well, we can always make fun of people."

"Now that sounds like my kind of plan."

* * *

Lunch was followed by another hiking excursion, this time into the forest that bordered the other side of the resort city. They took a speeder to the edge of the woods. When they arrived, Leia laughed out loud. Han tried hard to stifle a chuckle.

The trees were bright pink and the leaves were a sickly shade of green that reminded him of the smog on some of the less desirable smuggler's moons.

They finished the hike unwillingly, Leia finally getting tired from the past few days activities and returned to their rooms to clean up for dinner.

Han went to knock on the door to see if she wanted to walk down together, but he found another note on the floor instead.

 **You take too long, Solo. I'm down at dinner, probably sitting in the corner alone. Or maybe with Helena, I don't know. I'll order you some Corellian Whiskey. -LO**

Han felt himself choke over the last line of her perfect handwriting in his mind. She offered to order him a drink? It seemed a bit too domestic for Leia, but he grabbed his key and flew down the stairs, not even bothering to take the elevator.

He found her sitting in the corner where she said she would, _their_ corner, where they had spent the last few days' dinner avoiding the other guests at the hotel.

At first, he was just happy to see the glass of whiskey sitting on the table in front of her, but he slowly noticed what she was wearing. Her hair was tied up as usual, but a few loose pieces fell in front of her face and beside her ears. She was wearing a pink dress, the lightest pink he had ever seen. She was facing away from him and he could see the plunge in the back, a complete absence of fabric from the nape of her neck to the small of her back, continuing once again at her sides and at the very bottom of her spine. The dress stopped at her mid-calf, higher in the front than the back, and her shoes were a perfectly complementary nude.

Han stopped exactly where he was, and almost took out a waiter with a large tray of food.

"Excuse me!" The waiter exclaimed.

"Yeah," Han barely muttered, pulling himself back into the galaxy and walking toward the table where Leia sat.

He pulled out his chair and sat down, trying to regain some of his suave nature. "Who are you all dressed up for?" He asked, grabbing the glass that was set in front of him.

She smiled, but didn't answer, looking down at the menu for the seventeenth time it seemed, trying not to think about the real reason she had put on the dress. She had packed basically all of the dresses and other nice clothes she had remaining from Alderaan. She had dresses far more modest and event-appropriate than this one, but she'd put it on anyway.

The same waiter whose career Han had almost ended attended their table and before he took their order, he gave Han a deadly glare. Their food arrived on time, however, but Han was left wondering if the waiter had spit in it.

As they ate, they made small talk and eventually started telling each other stories about Arlan and Sia as they knew them. Leia told stories of how they improved the galaxy with their generosity, and Han told stories that were significantly more embarrassing.

"So there we are," he said, halfway through the story. "Arlan has a mouthful of Nerf's milk and Sia is trying to recite the alphabet backwards. Chewie still isn't back from the store and I was almost too drunk to see straight."

Leia had tuned out a bit after the story had started, distracted by the soft brown color of the longleeved shirt he was wearing. The nude tone made him look even darker, Leia thought.

"Right," she said, as if she had been listening the whole time.

"And to make a long story slightly shorter, Arlan and Chewie ended up taking care of me and Sia because we passed out about halfway through the night. When I saw them asleep in each other's arms the next morning, I knew they were getting married," Han shared.

Leia smiled as he finished his story and sat her fork down on the plate in front of her. Shortly, they were on their way back up to their rooms. The both settled in, putting away their things and relaxing. At first Leia was happy to have a break, but she quickly got bored without any work to do.

Han wasn't much better. Without his Wookiee, he never had much to do.

He found himself standing up and knocking on her door. She opened it, barefoot and still in her dress from earlier in the evening.

"Come in," she said.

* * *

 **a/n: Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger... Remember to try and review before you leave! I appreciate it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update. I was super busy this weekend. Chapter 5 is finally here. Please leave a review if you enjoy it.**

* * *

He entered her room and immediately noticed her things, all over the place. Judging by her personality, Han had always expected Leia to be extremely neat and organized. This was not the case. Clothes were strewn across the bed that she was not using and her bathroom reminded him of a disaster area. She had to move some cups and a suitcase off of the chair and couch in the room.

"I'm very messy when I'm staying alone," Leia explained. "My rooms on Coruscant were constantly disheveled."

Not only had Leia invited him in, but now she was openly divulging her past. Something had clearly changed on this trip. She sat down almost clumsily on the couch. He raised an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic behavior, but sat down in the plush chair across from her over the small table in between them.

"Wanna play cards?" she asked, nonchalantly.

"Um sure," he said, sitting forward in his seat. She pulled a deck out from under one of the piles of clothes laid on top of a data pad.

"How about Sabaac?" Han suggested, pulling his own deck out of his pocket, always eager to win.

"Nah, I never really got the big deal with that game," she said, shuffling the deck. "How about banjack?" She started sorting the cards for the game she had picked out.

"No, wait," Han said, holding up a hand. "You can't just insult Sabaac and then move on."

"All I'm saying is that I don't understand Sabaac," Leia defended. "I never said I didn't like it."

"I don't understand how you couldn't," Han argued. "It's a simple game of tact and skill."

"Clearly it doesn't take that much skill," she said. "You play it."

He smirked and looked up at her. She was chuckling at herself under her breath. He smiled at her as she dealt the cards and they picked up their respective hands. Leia laid down the first winning hand, and her streak continued for the rest of the game. She ended up winning until the final round.

"Honestly, I'm not even surprised," Han said, throwing down his final, terrible hand. "I've always been terrible at banjack."

"Well, I've always been pretty good," Leia said honestly. "So you never stood a chance."

"No, I didn't," he responded. "Not with you I didn't."

Leia looked up from the cards in her hand. He met her eyes for a minute, but she looked away at the chrono. It was only 2100, as the satellite ran on basic time. Arlan and Sia had done a good job, perhaps too good of a job, planning activities during the day, but terribly at planning events for the evening. After dinner, it seemed like the guests were on their own, which a lot of them probably appreciated, but Leia was starting to resent it. It was letting her get to close to Han.

 _What was I thinking inviting him in here?_ She thought. _What did I think was going to happen?_

He noticed that she had been looking at the chrono for a strange amount of time.

"Don't tell me this is late for you," Han said. "I've seen you pull all-nighters without blinking."

Leia looked back at him. "That's for work," she said. "I'm on vacation." She smiled at her own terrible excuse.

"Look Princess," Han started, kicking his feet up on the small table in front of him. "I'll leave if you want me to, I don't really think you do."

Suddenly the air became charged with a tension that was not unfamiliar to the two rebels. It was the same tension that followed them around the base when they argued or that filled the entire hangar when they battled it out on the Falcon.

"And just what makes you think that, flyboy?" She asked.

"Aw, c'mon," he answered. "We're alone on a foreign planet. It's a wedding, it's romantic. What else are you going to do, besides hang out with me?"

"Maybe I'll go down to the bar and find someone else to 'hang out' with, as you so eloquently put it," she said.

"No, you won't," Han said. "Introducing new people into your life is too much of a liability for you. I should know. I was one of them."

For some reason, this struck a chord with her. "Fine, I've decided that you _are_ too much of a liability," she said with a sarcastic smile. "Get out."

Han stood up. "Woah, woah, Princess, I'm too much of a liability? What about yourself?"

"I account for my own mistakes," she said, standing in attempt to level herself with him.

"Oh well, what about Luke?" Han asked, but immediately regretted it.

"Luke doesn't let childish feelings get in the way of his mission."

Han was stunned for a minute, but didn't take too long to respond. "I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but we're not on a mission."

"That's not what I mean," Leia sighed.

"Then what do you mean?" Han asked, crossing his arms.

"I mean every mission we've been on since you and Luke pulled me out of that cell on the Death Star," Leia said. "I'm not oblivious. I know how you both feel about me."

Han suddenly was very close to her. He spoke quietly and calmly. "You don't know shit, Leia."

She squinted at him and then smirked. "It's funny that you really think I'm that stupid."

"So what?" He asked. "What does it change, if I have feelings for you?"

"It impairs your ability to work," Leia said.

"Well I don't work for the alliance," Han said. "I'm a mercenary at best."

"You have a ship and a title," Leia said. "You work for the alliance. And even if you don't, you work for _me."_

"Well the kid has a thing for you. Why doesn't he get a spiel?"

"Because despite being younger, Luke is more mature than you," Leia shouted.

"Look, Princess. I don't want to fight, especially about Luke," Han sighed. "We have to spend the rest of the week together."

They both took their seats again, sitting in silence for a few minutes before Han spoke up.

"I honestly don't know why I'm still helping you and your pointless rebellion," Han said, defeated. "You're all ungrateful."

"We're not ungrateful," Leia defended. "We're broke."

Han chuckled at that. "You're also crazy. If high command keeps us on Haituk much longer, the Empire will find us for sure."

"We have somewhere else," she suddenly blurted out, surprising herself. She was trained to resist torture for information, but something about Han Solo tore down the defenses that her training had built. "That's confidential," she continued. "Don't tell anyone."

"Where?" Han asked, now curious.

"The Hoth system," she replied.

"Where?" Han repeated.

"It's a remote Outer Rim system," she explained. "An ice planet."

"From the jungle to an ice planet," he said. "You all sure know how to keep it interesting."

Leia shrugged. She didn't know why she'd just disclosed one of the rebellion's biggest secrets to one of their least trustworthy mercenaries. Her judgement had been impaired from her time off.

 _Or maybe you just trust him,_ she told herself.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he spoke up. "I'm not gonna tell anyone, princess. You can trust me."

"Not even Luke," she clarified.

Han nodded. For some reason, he quite liked knowing something that Luke didn't.

Leia cleared her throat. "It's late."

"It's not," Han said, but moved to get up. "But I'll go."

"Well there's only so much we can do in a given time period," Leia said, opening the door that joined their rooms.

Suddenly, Han was very close to her again. "Okay, if you're tired, I'll go, but there's a hell of a lot more that we could be doing this evening."

He winked, and he was gone.

In a situation where she would often find herself rolling her eyes, Leia actually noticed her heart beating faster. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She took a shower, crawled into bed, and tried not to dream about what Han had told her.


End file.
